Karmic belief says that after people die
they return to earth in another body. In other words it means
reincarnation. This is a totally unfounded and superstitious
belief.

Belief in karma is an important element in superstitious
eastern religions such as decadent Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning "action" or "movement". In Indian
religions, karma is conceived of as "the law of cause and effect".
According to those who believe in karma, in the future people
will experience the consequences of whatever they have done in
the past. Good comes from good, and evil from evil. It therefore
follows that the situation they are in today is the result of
the past.

Reincarnation-the concept that people come back
to the world in another body after their death-follows from the
belief in karma and is absolutely fundamental to Indian religions.
The relationship between karma and reincarnation is explained
in a book entitled Dinler Tarihi (The History of Religions)
in the following words:

Reincarnation is the belief that the soul passes
from one body into another after death. Reincarnation is part
and parcel of the philosophy of karma. According to this belief,
a soul is either high born or low born in terms of its degree
of development. A person may be reborn as a plant, an animal,
a human being or a god, depending on his or her actions. (Thus,
people are the architects of their own fates.) This rebirth takes
place as a result of cause and effect. By means of reincarnation,
it is possible for us to be given the moral and spiritual reward
of our actions. Happiness in one's next life depends on right
action. Every individual is responsible for his or her own situation.
There is no need to fear death. Through continuous rebirths, people
achieve their desires and enjoy continual satisfaction. They live
in the god Brahma. It is claimed that this belief endows the native
of India with a powerful optimism.2

As we see here, the belief in karma does not imply
a belief in the afterlife; in place of this, there is a belief
in rebirth into this world with the same soul but in a new body.
This, however, is an erroneous and superstitious belief that conflicts
with what Allah tells us in the Qur'an.

Another erroneous aspect of this philosophy that
calls for attention is the belief that people can be reborn as
gods. This is the most superstitious and unrealistic claim ever
made in the history of mankind. Such a claim is polytheism. It
is an open denial of Allah's indivisibility. It is obvious that
no one can be a god; there is only one God and He has not given
birth to anything, nor was He given birth to. Allah is the Lord,
the Creator, the Protector and the Sole God of the whole universe
and of all living things. He is Unique and has no equal. Our Lord,
Allah, tells us this in the Qur'an:

Say: "He is Allah, Absolute Oneness, Allah, the
Everlasting Sustainer of all. He has not given birth and was not
born. And no one is comparable to Him". (Surat al-Ikhlas: 1-4)

Those who hold any belief other than this have departed
from the right road and it will be to their detriment in the life
after death.

Every self will taste death. You will be paid
your wages in full on the Day of Rising. Anyone who is distanced
from the Fire and admitted to the Garden has triumphed…
(Surah Al’Imran: 185)

... Do you then bear witness that
there are other gods together with Allah?’ Say: ‘I do not
bear witness.’ Say: ‘He is only One God, and I am free of
all you associate with Him.’
(Surat al_ An’am: 19)

There is no reincarnation; death and resurrection
happen only once

Reincarnation is a superstitious belief unconfirmed
by any divine source. However, there are people all over the world,
apart from those who follow Indian religions, who believe in reincarnation,
or rather would wish that the idea of reincarnation were true.
The reason for this is that people who do not believe in religion,
who deny the existence of an afterlife and are afraid of either
ceasing to exist or of living in Hell forever after their death,
see reincarnation as a way of overcoming these fears. Belief in
reincarnation necessitates believing that one should not be afraid
of death; it misleads one into thinking that he will achieve his
desires by means of rebirth.

However, the Qur'an tells us that death and resurrection
occur only once. Every one of us has only one life to live in
this world; after that life, we die, and after death we are brought
to life again. Then we stay in the Garden or in the Fire for eternity,
depending on what we have done in this world and whether we have
worshipped Allah without associating partners to Him. In other
words, we only live once in this world, and then we have an afterlife,
which goes on forever. The Qur'an tells us quite clearly that
we will not be able to return to this world after death:

There is a ban on any city We have destroyed; they
will not return. (Surat al-Anbiya: 95)

When death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord,
send me back again. so that perhaps I may act rightly regarding
the things I failed to do!" No indeed! It is just words he utters.
Before them there is an interspace until the Day they are raised
up. (Surat al-Muminun: 99-100)

As we see from these verses, when some people meet
death, they cherish the hope that they will be brought back to
life again. However, at that moment it will be explained to them
that this is not possible. In another verse, Allah says this about
our death and rising from the dead:

How can you reject Allah, when you were dead and
then He gave you life, then He will make you die and then give
you life again, then you will be returned to Him? (Surat al-Baqara:
28)

Every human being will inevitably
die. Yet that death will only happen once, and nobody will
return to Earth after death. This is a certain truth revealed
by Allah in the Qur'an. Another important truth is this; Death
is not the end. Death is rather the end of people's short
and transitory lives in this world and the beginning of their
infinite lives in the hereafter. Every individual will spend
his eternal life in the hereafter in either Heaven or Hell
depending on his behaviour in the life of this world.

As we see from this verse, at the very
beginning we are dead: we have no existence whatsoever. Then Allah
gives us life and human form from this state. Some time after
this when our lives are over, our bodies decay and disintegrate
into earth once again. This is our second transition to the state
of being dead. All that remains is for us to rise again. This
happens in the next world. We will all rise again in the afterlife;
then we will understand that we can never return again to the
world, and we will account for everything we did in this world.

Then when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him,
and they do not fail in their task. Then they are returned
to Allah, their Master, the Real. Jurisdiction belongs to
Him alone and He is the Swiftest of Reckoners.
(Surat al_ An’am: 61-62)

In other verses, it is explained to us that after
we have come into this world, we will only face one single death:

They will not taste any death there-except
for the first one. He will safeguard them from the punishment
of the Blazing Fire. A favour from your Lord. That is the
Great Victory. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 56-57)

The above verses state clearly and unequivocally
that we only die once. However much one may wish to adopt superstitious
beliefs such as a belief in reincarnation in order to overcome
the fear of death and the afterlife and so console himself, the
reality is that we will never come back to this world again after
our death. Everyone will die just once, and after death, in accordance
with Allah's will, we will begin our everlasting life in the next
world. Allah will reward a person in the Garden or punish him
in the Fire for his living a life in harmony with His unity or
his covering over that truth in this world. Allah is the source
of eternal justice. He is infinitely Merciful and Kind, and gives
humans the true and just reward for their belief or disbelief
and actions.

Seeking consolation in superstitious beliefs because of the fear
of death and the fear of going to the Fire will undoubtedly bring
disaster. Any intelligent and conscientious person, if they are
afraid of these things, will turn to Allah with a sincere heart
in the hope of going to the Garden and escaping the torments of
the Fire, and they will obey the Qur'an, our sole guide to salvation,
and live by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace.